About Us

Singapore Press Club, founded in 1971, has over the years established itself as the essential networking organisation for those working in the media, public relations and media-related areas here.

Membership is broad-based. We have members from practically all local print and broadcast media as well as a growing number of foreign journalists based in Singapore.

The club organises a variety of functions throughout the year. Members are kept informed of activities through e-mail circulars and our website: www.pressclub.org.sg

Members meet regularly for lunch talks under the Eminent Speakers Talk Series at the historic Raffles Hotel. The club invites politicians, media personalities, foreign dignitaries and other VIPs to give talks and take part in forums and round-table discussions.

Another popular activity is the Ambassadors Speak Series. The most recent speakers at these luncheon talks were Indian High Commissioner Dr S. Jaishankar, Pakistan High Commissioner Sajjad Ashraf, who is the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, British High Commissioner Alan Collins and United States Ambassador Frank Lavin.

Social lunches and evening get-togethers are held regularly at popular F&B outlets and hotels to enable members to network and keep in touch with each other.

The Foreign Correspondents Association (Singapore) and the Institute of Public Relations of Singapore (IPRS) are invited to join some of the Press Club activities.

Yet another highly popular activity is the Annual Goodwill Mission overseas, for which members pay their own way and spend their time visiting other countries in a study tour programme designed for both professional enrichment and enjoyment. We have sent goodwill missions to Pakistan, Israel, India, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Africa, Romania, Mauritius, Turkey, Malaysia and China.

Such trips are organised in association with foreign airlines, tourism offices and diplomatic missions in Singapore.

A programme of visits to key local institutions has also been put in place. The programme has included visits to the Singapore National Museum, The Arts House (Old Parliament House), Changi and Tuas Naval Bases, Singapore Press Holdings’ News Centre, Singapore Discovery Centre, Port of Singapore, Singapore Turf Club, Singapore Mint, Asian Civilisations Museum and Reuters news agency.

Singapore Press Club members are issued a credit-card size membership card which can be used as an identification tag and members are encouraged to wear it at all club events.

The late Dr Wee Kim Wee, who was Singapore’s fourth President for two terms from 1985 to 1993, was the Founder-President of the club. Former Editor-in-Chief of The Straits Times, the late Mr T. S. Khoo, was the second President of the club.

Mr Leslie Fong, Senior Executive Vice President, Marketing Division, Singapore Press Holdings, who was earlier Editor of The Straits Times, was the club’s third President. The current President is Mr Patrick Daniel, Editor-in-Chief, English and Malay Newspapers Division, Singapore Press Holdings.

The affairs of the club are managed by a 15-member management committee elected every year at an annual general meeting.

Singapore Press Club is a founder-member and former President of the International Association of Press Clubs (IAPC), which has its general secretariat in Dubai. The IAPC, which brings together over 10,000 working journalists worldwide, aims to promote friendly contact among journalists and offers reciprocal visiting privileges among its member clubs, including those in Paris, London, Berlin, New York, Geneva, Munich, Frankfurt, Milan, Vienna, Malta, Dubai, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Canberra and Singapore. For more information, please go to: pressclubs.com